Problem: Last Monday, Brandon's parents gave birth to twins and named them Gabriela and Vanessa. When they were first born, Gabriela weighed 8.72 pounds, and Vanessa weighed 8.66 pounds and was 19.5 inches tall. How much did the babies weigh in total?
Answer: To find the weights of the 2 babies, we need to add their weights together. Gabriela's weight + Vanessa's weight = total weight. ${8}$ ${7}$ ${2}$ ${8}$ ${6}$ ${6}$ ${+\vphantom{0}}$ ${8}$ ${3}$ ${7}$ ${1}$ Together, the babies weigh 17.38 pounds.